There was something invigorating about being in front of the camera. It was a feeling I had never felt before. Knowing people were watching you report on what is going on in their world - that's power. But I was never power-hungry, I didn't decide this career path because I needed a powerful position. I did it because, well, I guess I'll start from the beginning.

There was a time when I was a tiny, scared 14-year-old who would have never imagined herself being the "known" anchor for her high school's journalism class. Anchoring in front of the entire school? It wasn't my cup of tea. (No one really watched anyways, but I would like to pretend they did). However, the day my journalism advisor asked what I had done in the front of the studio, I told him I did everything except Camera 1 and anchor. He said, "Great. You'll be Talent 2," and that's about where my career as a news anchor started, but I didn't quite know it yet.

As my journey continued into this industry, in high school I advanced very young. I took this whole journalist thing very seriously. Some people took the class for an easy A, that's not how it worked for me, and it infuriated me seeing people not take it seriously. Yes, I get it, it was just a high school elective, but to me, and so many other of my classmates, it was so much more than that. My junior year of high school I was selected as managing editor, and that's where everything changed for me. I was in charge of the entire newsroom, can we talk about THAT?!?! It was insane! But it was something I loved instantly. I loved helping people come up with stories, I loved sitting down with people and helping them improve. I loved going over the news budget to see what everyone was working on. Are you catching the hint? I absolutely loved everything about it. But my love for the industry didn't stop there.

In my senior year, I anchored almost every single week. And I mean that. I anchored quite often. And for our 30-minute talk show, I was chosen to be one of the lead anchors for that too. And that's where I knew I wanted to be an anchor. It was more than just being the face of my high school's media outlet, it was the idea that I was the person people came to know what was going on in their community.

I messed up a lot; I mean let's be real, being on camera? Very intimidating. But I loved it, even when I did mess up. I had to learn that my mistakes didn't define me as an anchor. I thought they would. I thought everyone would hear and see me mess up and then never trust my credibility or see me as a professional. But, that's not how it works. Being in quarantine, I have a lot more time to be able to watch the news, and, contrary to my idea that professionals never mess up, they do. All the time. And I've never heard one mess up and then decided to never watch them again. They brush it off and keep going like nothing happened, that's where the professionalism is.

When I got to college, I was a part of many different publications and media outlets. I did this because I wanted to try and see where my clear passion was. I was a videographer for The Daily Collegian as well as the sports anchor for PSNtv, and also a reporter and anchor for CommRadio news. One thing was clear: I did not want to be a multimedia journalist, so I stayed one semester at the Collegian and then decided to quit. It was hard because I did love doing it, I just knew I needed to put my focus elsewhere. Then it came down to CommRadio and PSNtv. I absolutely loved PSNtv, but CommRadio was a different breed. It was very professional and well-respected. I knew I wanted to put my focus on that.

Would I ever become a radio journalist? I'm not really sure, to be honest. I started my own podcast to kind of help me see where I want to head in that direction. But, personally, there's nothing like being on camera. (I hope that doesn't make me sound cocky.) I just love anchoring, and I'm good at it. I'm good with my on-camera persona and I'm great with my articulation and the emphasis on certain words and phrases.

I didn't just decide to be a journalist because I'm good at it either, that's definitely not the case. I enjoy the news. I love knowing what is going on around and I love helping people know what is going on around them. When I was growing up I used to always ask my parents questions, and that's what my job is. It's to get the answers and come up with the story to know what is going on. Doesn't that seem fitting?

I love the world in which we all live in, and there is no better way to become closer to that world than by being a journalist.